Column: Cut size of lawns

At this time of year, people with large lawns tend to form a dislike for grass. The constant mowing is quite demanding. One way to free up some time is to convert lawn areas into landscaped beds.

Usually, when people want to eliminate some grass the first thing that comes to mind is to plant wildflowers. This can be an option, but make sure at least 75 percent of your wildflower seed mix is perennial wildflowers. If you plant annual wildflowers the bed will be bare at certain times of the year. The perennial plants may not be in bloom, but there will be green plant material in place.

When covering a large area with ground cover materials it is most cost effective to use spreading as opposed to clumping plants. Some common spreading ground cover plants are English and Algerian ivy, Shore and Parsoni juniper, Asiatic jasmine, trailing lantana and creeping fig.

Some lesser known spreading ground covers are beach morning glory, lippia, Carolina yellow jessamine and beach sunflower. These are all native plants that will serve as flowering ground covers.

As with any plant, these all have preferences as to planting location, so make sure you pick the right plant for the right place.